History made, victory acquired, forward Ty Bilcke paused on the Comerica Park ice surface as the remainder of his Windsor Spitfires teammates sought refuge from the suddenly falling rain.

Bilcke just wanted to soak it all in.

No, not the downpour that was drenching his jersey, but rather the atmosphere of skating in front of thousands in the middle of a baseball park.

“Before going off the ice, I kind of just stepped back,” Bilcke explained. “I just wanted to stay on the ice for another minute and look around, take it all in, because I don’t know when I’m ever going to see that again.”

They’ll see this again, because there’s only one first time and for the Spitfires, a 6-5 victory over the Saginaw in the inaugural outdoor game in Ontario Hockey League history ensured that forever, they will be remembered as the winner of this historic contest.

Even the guys on the wrong end of the scoreline could embrace the landmark moment that they were a part of Sunday afternoon.

“It’s something you’ll always remember, something you’ll tell people for years to come,” said Saginaw forward Eric Locke, the former Spitfire. “Hopefully, there’s a whole bunch of other (outdoor) games and someday you can say, ‘Oh yeah. I played in that once.’”

As is almost always the case with these outdoor games, there were some bumps along the way.

The game’s start was delayed 98 minutes due to the glare from the midday sunshine that originally blanketed Comerica Park.

“It was the right call,” Windsor coach Bob Boughner said. “I went out there on the ice for the team photo and I don’t think you could have played – the goaltenders especially, but everybody was squinting.”

They didn’t start because of sunshine, and finished in the rain, definitely a first for a baseball stadium.

“That’s always going to be a good story to tell,” Spitfires forward Josh Ho-Sang said.

The ice, which was an issue a couple of weeks ago when the Windsor Lancers played the Western Mustangs, wasn’t a problem on this day.

“The ice was actually excellent,” Boughner said. “The glass, you had to really hammer it if you wanted to chip it out. The boards gave a couple of weird bounces, but I thought the playing surface itself was great.

“It was an unbelievable atmosphere to play in. I think the kids had a lot of fun. I know we had a lot of fun as coaches.”

As Windsor’s back-up goalie, Dalen Kuchmey began the day with a great seat, but his location improved dramatically when he replaced starter Alex Fotinos to begin the second period.

“I really came in cold,” joked Kuchmey, who got the win and struggled to describe his feelings afterward.

“It’s still sinking in now. It’s not going to sink in for a while.

“It’s the greatest experience I’ve had since I’ve been playing hockey.”

The crowd was announced at 25,749, but those were tickets sold and the OHL wasn’t ready to anoint it a record attendance unless they could decipher actual tickets used.

The vast majority of those who employed their tickets were Windsor fans.

“Every time we scored, you could hear them,” Ho-Sang said. “When the ref made a bad call, you could hear them.”

During the delay, Spitfires players interacted with fans. Bilcke went as far as to walk up into the stands to chat.

A Spitfires fan waves a Spits flag during the OHL Outdoor Doubleheader between the Windsor Spitfires and the Saginaw Spirit at Comerica Park, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. Windsor defeated Saginaw 6-5 in the first ever OHL game played outside. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)

Windsor’s Josh Ho-Sang, left, looks up ice while being defended by Saginaw’s Jacob Ringuette during the OHL Outdoor Doubleheader between the Windsor Spitfires and the Saginaw Spirit at Comerica Park, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. Windsor defeated Saginaw 6-5 in the first ever OHL game played outside. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)

Windsor’s Patrick Sanvido, left, gets checked into the boards by Saginaw’s Luke Cairns while Windsor’s Brody Milne looks on during the OHL Outdoor Doubleheader between the Windsor Spitfires and the Saginaw Spirit at Comerica Park, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. Windsor defeated Saginaw 6-5 in the first ever OHL game played outside. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)

Windsor’s Adam Bateman battles for the puck with Saginaw’s Eric Locke, left, during the OHL Outdoor Doubleheader between the Windsor Spitfires and the Saginaw Spirit at Comerica Park, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. Windsor defeated Saginaw 6-5 in the first ever OHL game played outside. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)

Patrick Sanvido, centre, and the rest of the Windsor Spitfires walk through the visitors dugout as they take to the ice for the second period of the OHL Outdoor Doubleheader at Comerica Park, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. Windsor defeated the Saginaw Spirit 6-5 in the first ever OHL game played outside. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)

Jacqueline Letourneau, 25, from Chatham Ont., has a laugh with Elephant Presley during the intermission of the OHL Outdoor Doubleheader between the Windsor Spitfires and the Saginaw Spirit at Comerica Park, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. Windsor defeated Saginaw 6-5 in the first ever OHL game played outside. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)

Saginaw’s Cody Payne falls to the ice after dropping the gloves with Windsor’s Ty Bilcke during the OHL Outdoor Doubleheader between the Windsor Spitfires and the Saginaw Spirit at Comerica Park, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. Windsor defeated Saginaw 6-5 in the first ever OHL game played outside. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)

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